Who was Kenneth Williams?

Kenneth Williams was one of eight men sentenced to death in a controversial batch of state executions in Kansas in 2017.

The executions were carried out over an 11-day period as Kansas’ governor Asa Hutchinson was concerned supplies of one of the drugs used in lethal injections was due to expire.

Williams was sentenced to death in October 1999 for the murder of Cecil Boren, who he killed as he escaped from Cummins prison in Arkansas.

As he escaped from the facility, Williams murdered Boren, stole his truck and crashed it into another vehicle which was being driven by Michael Greenwood — who subsequently died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.

Williams was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Dominique Hurd the previous year.

He was executed on Thursday, April 27, 2017, and pronounced dead at 11:05pm after a 13-minute lethal injection.

Eyewitnesses to his death said Williams’ body convulsed repeatedly during the procedure.

Before his death, Williams apologised to the families of his victims and said: “I was more than wrong. The crimes I perpetrated against you all were senseless, extremely hurtful, and inexcusable.

“I humbly beg your forgiveness and pray you find the peace, healing, and closure you all deserve.”

Williams’ lawyers had tried to delay his execution by arguing he was intellectually disabled – the US does not allow for capital punishment against prisoners with such disabilities.